Aboslute Devotion
by Ryu Niiyama
Summary: The fires of war have been extinguished, yet their scars remain. One knight armed with the truth behind the faith and the woman she devoted her life to takes up one last Pilgrimage. To Zanado, where the goddess dwells and where Justice will find her helpmate in Love.


Absolute Devotion

By: Ryu Niiyama

Paring: The Immaculate One/ Catherine

Spoilers for the identities of some characters as well as inhuman actions and characteristics. I try not to take it to a weird level, but I do acknowledge the true nature of certain characters.

Spoilers if you don't know who The Immaculate One is.

* * *

She had asked Byleth…Lady Byleth on a whim.

Wanting to see, needing to _understand_ the …monster…that she'd served and _worshiped_ and _loved_ for so long. She had seen the false end of her life as a noble and had taken up the mantle of a warrior in her savior's name only to see everything she believed in turned to ash, so she needed to know _why_. With a nod, the new Archbishop directed her to Lady Rhea's room, even now still unoccupied and she began her search for the truth.

The answer she found left her clawing at her belly, hunched over sobbing and howling with grief…and shame and renewed faith. Rhea had kept journals throughout her long life, chronicling the greed of humanity; the human thirst for blood and power and throughout it all there had been such _overwhelming_ _grief_. Even with the last of her kin by her side she had been _utterly_ _alone_, stumbling blindly after the shadow of the Goddess…of her _mother_.

Catherine had learned the origin of the relics and that Lady Rhea knew the _name_ of every sibling that they belonged to. Every time they were wielded, the pulse of divinity shredded the Archbishop's heart further; the grief of the horrible, grotesque deaths of her kin crying out in a way that only she and her remaining siblings could understand. Thunderbrand, once so familiar, once so comforting and a source of pride to wield; she could now barely stand to look at the blade without feeling her stomach turn. Lady Rhea had drawn each and every sibling that was forged into a relic, in both forms, and as she looked upon the meticulously drawn eyes and gentle smile of the woman whose _bones_ she wielded…she felt her pride curdle to shame and horror.

She thought of the fresco of the Saints, accurately guessing the original artist after seeing sketches come alive over several pages within cherished journals, and she realized that Rhea had told her family's history in plain sight. The Star and the Goddess, the five remaining children led by the Immaculate One, the most beautiful and fearsome of them all, and the saints drawn in honest detail… including the smallest one that she knew now was Flayn. All encircled by the crests of the kin that they'd lost.

Catherine thought of Flayn and she wondered would her ancestors have carved apart her gentle, sweet smile to make a weapon to hang their pride upon? Knowing that Flayn as a child, mourning the death of her own mother yet still taking to the field of war alongside her father and uncles and aunt, that was _exactly_ what they would have done. They would have taken that joy, that innocence, somehow still maintained after all she'd seen and they would have _annihilated_ it merely to make a weapon. They would snuff out a life for so petty a reason as power…stolen power. The thought made her want to scour off her own skin and boil her very blood.

That pain explained Seteth's frantic, nearly panic filled worry for his…daughter…and yet it seemed that Lady Rhea was the only one that stayed on the path of reclaiming the mother that they had lost. She had been very young, in many ways still a child and she'd had watched in horror as human hands tore her mother's sleeping body apart and extricated her _spine_. How alone she must have felt all these centuries; Catherine's heart broke at the thought.

Lady Rhea had always been meticulous even in her grief and she described the butchering of the Goddess with a level of detail that would have driven any other being mad. Catherine had clenched her fist so tightly that it had bled, the vile blood of her ancestors spilling from her palm as she read over tear stained pages, seeing her Lady in her mind's eye draped over the remains of her mother, weeping and roaring her pain as she sung her mother's lullaby. She had been too young, too weak to stop the humans and perhaps too afraid of the horror that human _monsters_ would turn upon her if she tried.

So it would take years for her to craft the persona of the divine Saint, even longer still to begin to gather followers and seed the beginnings of the Faith. All the while her kin were hunted down and slaughtered; their bones and beating hearts only adding to the might of their murderers. Catherine didn't know how Lady Rhea had held back her fury for so long; _She_ would have likely joined the number of the fallen in an attempt to destroy as many of the vile butchers as she could had she been in her Lady's place.

It was strange to realize that _humans_ were the monsters in the dark, terrifying enough to torment the dreams of a goddess for centuries. All of their honor, all of their cities and progress were nothing more than pretty trappings to cloak the beast. The Emperor had believed that she was freeing humanity from the clutches of bestial oppressors, when all she had done was removed humanity's mask. The wolf had been revealed and it was only the fact that the sheep had fangs of their own that allowed them to prevail. To think that the truest of humanity's vile greed still existed, somewhere out there staring at Rhea and her power with lust and hatred in their hearts filled Catherine with fury so great she feared it would set her alight.

She would find a way. She would make her accursed blood worth something. She would stamp out the vile creatures hiding in the dark, keeping their dark desires to turn their poison and ambition upon her Lady at bay. She would make this her gift, her pilgrimage would begin with weeding out the sedition and cruelty that had cost Lady Rhea everything. She told no one of her plans save Archbishop Byleth, requesting her assistance in hunting down the evil that had proven human greed to be the cruelest monster of all. Craving some sort of a touchstone, she took two of her Lady's journals with her, keeping them close at all times.

One was the earliest volume and it showed the gentle heart that Rhea had stretched and twisted into the mask of the Archbishop as well as the resolve and love that would anoint her as Seiros, the avenger of the Goddess. The second journal was the most recent one which illuminated her weary heart, displaying of the burden of her grief and longing and yet her hope for new tomorrow with the Goddess by her side. There were a few pages dedicated to Catherine herself within this journal and even though her affection had soured as Catherine's prowess with Thunderbrand grew, it still warmed her heart that at least once Lady Rhea had cared for her in some way. These journals would be her Faith now, she would go into the world not as a Knight of Seiros but instead as a Knight of Rhea and she would use her accursed might to make her life, her blood and the crest she bore worth something more than destruction.

She would prove to Lady Rhea that humanity had some beauty even among the filth of its nature. She would prove that humans could choose to be more than parasites and vultures. And when her work was done she would find her Lady and ask for her judgment one last time.

It took nearly five years, but Catherine succeeded. With the aid and support of the Archbishop and Ruler of Fodlan she had stamped out the remnants of those who slithered in the dark. A fitting name for humans that coveted the powers of the Goddess. Belly crawling, wingless mockeries of the true majesty of the Immaculate One and her kin. She'd nearly drowned in her quest for vengeance, a part of her wanting to put all of those that had been of the bloodlines to the blade…even herself. Yet she could only punish the corrupt and hope that her actions brought her Lady some measure of peace. Her task complete, she wrapped Thunderbrand in a mourning shroud and swore to never wield it again, strapping the blade to her back and purchasing the finest blade money and her reputation could buy to replace it. Prepared for her final pilgrimage, the Knight of Rhea met with the Archbishop, requesting her blessing before she went to meet her fate.

She wandered the Red Canyon for weeks, armed only with the half coherent instructions from the Archbishop and the ring that the Archbishop wore, the ring that Rhea had formed from one of her scales and had given to her vessels to bind them to her blood without infusing them with her crest. It was also meant to be a gift when the Goddess awoke, a token of her everlasting loyalty and adoration. Byleth had worn that ring on her left hand for years, yet when Catherine returned with her pilgrimage nearly complete, she had tilted her head and smiled, the expression alien on her still often impassive face, and she had stated that _they_ didn't need it any longer. The knight had flinched, wondering if the nature of her hair and eye color were exactly what Lady Rhea had believed them to be and if so she wondered if that was the real reason that Lady Rhea left.

Perhaps her Lady could not bear to be so close to the Goddess and yet for her to not have returned as she had been in Rhea's memories. How it must have shattered her to see her beloved Mother so splintered and wrapped so deeply around Byleth's soul that no one could tell where one ended and the other began.

All of her dreaming, all of her work for centuries had been for naught. No wonder Rhea left the lands of men; there was nothing here for her now.

She was afraid that she would never find her Lady, thirst and exhaustion clawing at her as she plodded forward, seeking Rhea's light. She believed she was hallucinating as she saw the being she had once deemed a monster aloft in the sky, moving as if she were dancing along the winds, silvery white scales gleaming. Entranced, Catherine reached out to the apparition in her devotion and rapture and with a whisper of the Immaculate One's name, her mortal form failed her and she crumpled to her knees before pitching forward and passing out.

When she awoke she found herself lying upon a bed made with handmade sheets and furs but still luxurious in its own way. She rose from the bed, carefully checking herself for injuries and finding none, noting Thunderbrand lay still wrapped and bound and placed upon a table nearby. Ignoring the blade for a moment, the knight rose and moved through the house she found herself in. She could see touches of Rhea's personality suffusing every inch of the place.

The décor was simple, likely handcrafted but she noted the books that lined most of the shelves, Rhea's brilliant mind unfettered even in exile. There were flowers everywhere, Zanado lilies just as she had always worn in her hair and paintings and half-finished canvases lined the walls or were stacked against furniture, waiting to be finished or hung. Many of the scenes were of places that Catherine didn't recognize, but in some she found traces of familiar rock formations and she realized that Rhea painted the Zanado of her childhood.

She turned as the soft, lilting tones of Lady Rhea's voice tickled her ears, briefly taking her back to a time where she lay bloodied and dying in a battlefield, her blade held weakly in her grasp. Lady Rhea had taken her wounded body into her arms then, headless of the mud, rain and blood that stained her pristine vestments. Catherine had been certain that Saint Seiros had come down from on high to ease her into the arms of the Goddess. Yet rather than the cold grasp of death she felt…love…Lady Rhea's healing power felt like love…the love she had for the Goddess, the love that she had for the Church. In that moment, Catherine knew her Lady's love and she'd spent every waking moment since yearning to feel it once again.

She'd half hollowed her soul out, pining for Rhea's regard, willing to kill anyone if it meant keeping Rhea safe. Even the jobs that Shamir wouldn't take Catherine performed readily; she didn't relish the killing, nor did she see herself as a heroine, but she wanted, needed just once more before she took her last breath to know the joy of Lady Rhea's affection. Her efforts had been in vain however, Rhea saw her as a perfect descendant of Charon…a murderer, words she had never said to Catherine's face but had been written the sanctuary of worn journals. Yet as a warrior, she could only love her beloved Rhea with bloodied hands. No, it wasn't the blood that made Rhea hold her in disdain…it was the single minded ruthlessness. For Rhea who had stayed her hand and even helped rebuild her greatest enemies, not out of grace but out of devotion and love for the Goddess, a human that couldn't make the same heartbreaking choice was not worth her time.

Even still, Catherine would complete her pilgrimage. She would never be forgiven she knew, but she would still attempt to atone. Finally, she would return to Rhea all that was hers. The knight moved forward with steadfast resolve and she walked outside towards her Lady…and her fate.

Rhea knelt in a simple tunic and trousers, tending to her garden and humming softly to her vegetable charges. Catherine knew that the former Archbishop heard her approach but she said nothing, content for a moment to enjoy this false peace and look upon the woman she still loved so desperately. Slowly, softly the song trailed off, although it lingered in Catherine's heart and she struggled not to try to straighten her dusty clothes. The last Daughter of the Goddess stood slowly, with regal precision and she affixed her penetrating gaze upon the knight before her.

Catherine had always loved that gaze, although it was rarely pointed in her direction, yet now she felt naked and unsure. Despite this, she squared her shoulders and bowed before Rhea, honoring her Lady as always. Rhea said nothing, holding the silence until it stretched just a hair beyond comfort before she turned and walked away. Catherine scrambled to follow, keeping three paces behind as was customary for all knights and for a moment if felt like nothing had changed at all; as if the Emperor's misguided war had never happened and they still walked through hallowed halls. Yet as she saw the slight hesitation in her Lady's steps, the weakness that the Emperor's cruelty had placed within the movements of a divine being, Catherine knew nothing would ever be the same.

Rhea stopped, once she reached the northern side of her house, looking out towards the horizon and Catherine gasped at what she saw. The ruins of the home of the Goddess and her Children, scars so deep it seemed that the land still wept in agony. This was what started it all, this horrible tragedy that cemented humanity's depravity and cruelty…and in some ways murdered the Rhea that had once called this place home. Blood guilt weighed the knight down and she dropped to one knee, bowing her head in reverence.

"Lady Rhea, I have slain your enemies… you never need fear the dark again. Now I place myself at your mercy for judgment."

Rhea frowned as she stared at her former Knight. "Are you certain… do you understand what you are asking?" Catherine nodded and looked up, tears brimming in her eyes, not for her fate but for the pain her Lady had endured for centuries. She knew that in judgment, Rhea had no mercy, and Catherine was prepared to receive it.

"All I've done, my service my devotion has only been for you Lady Rhea. This life that you saved and protected, I return it to you." She touched the crest of Seiros- of Rhea at her throat and she eased herself to the ground, ready to commit her life to Rhea once more. Sothis may have been the Goddess, but Rhea, her devoted daughter was the one that Catherine revered. Catherine kept her eyes on her Lady even as she steeled her mind for death wanting her final moments to be filled with the woman and liege that she loved. Rhea walked towards her, slowly and Catherine could swear that her footsteps sounded like thunder.

With a flash of light, The Immaculate One stood above her ready to pass judgment. Massive foreclaws larger than a warhorse and cart tore into the ground on either side of Catherine as an impossibly massive wingspan blotted out most of the sun. Catherine should have been afraid, she was about to die, ripped apart by the most loyal of the Goddess' servants…by the Goddess' beloved daughter. Yet all she could feel was love and sorrow, not for her life to lose but for Rhea who would still be alone. Would there be no one to ease her Lady's pain? That task was not hers to take, but she lamented it all the same.

"What do you want from me Catherine?" The Immaculate One's voice was booming, fitting her stature and yet there was a lilting softness and beauty to it, something even sweeter than her human voice. This voice could call forth power and could sing of the secrets of the universe that no human could ever understand. The Knight reached out, her soul weeping silently in reverence and rapture.

"To be _seen_, to be allowed to love you, worship you. Let my life prove to you the truth of who I am."

The Immaculate One snarled and Catherine heard the rage that Rhea had tightly controlled for centuries sweep over her like a maelstrom. She fought the urge to curl up like prey, determined to prove her faith and devotion. The massive head of the Immaculate one leaned forward and Catherine could see those vivid peridot eyes and despite her instinctual terror, she found herself falling in love all over again. Rhea had become her whole world; savior, mentor, master yet her foolish human heart still yearned to see all of her. In this, her final moments, seeing her Lady in all of her majesty was the closest she would ever get to the truth of her Lady. In that her devout heart knew only joy.

"I have lived among the _devoted_ for centuries. They splintered off and betrayed me…betrayed my mother, seeking _nothing_ but power. You who wield the _tibia_ of my _sister_, you clutch for power just like _them_. Is that what you seek? A new Relic, a new way to prove that you are mighty by wielding the power of others?"

Catherine could not stop the tears as she remembered the journals she'd found in the Archbishop's office. Lady Rhea had held Catherine's strength in disdain, a mewling pathetic human, pretending to be powerful. Yet she could not let her devotion be cast aside. Everything she did was for Lady Rhea, and if she had to offer her life to prove it, she would do so. She reached out a hand and stroked the maw that could tear her in half with barely the force it took to snap a carrot, and she looked into the eyes that had always enraptured her, the eyes that held so much sadness and pain, eyes that she held in her heart as she took to the battlefield to slay her Lady's demons.

"I only seek _you_ Lady Rhea."

She knew she was unworthy, brash and boisterous and while she had a mind for war but she was nothing like her Lady's "dear one". Surely Byleth was the one proof of humanity's worth, a stillborn corpse that became a goddess. Her power was exhibited long before she took up the Relic of the Goddess and now she ruled all of Fodlan, but her grace was not the same as Lady Rhea's. Lady Rhea wore her grief as a shield, wielded it as a blade and despite all that had been taken from her she heeded her mother's last words. That was true divinity and grace. The church had not been perfect, but no congregation of mankind was, yet under Lady Rhea, they had known peace for nearly a millennia and she had held the warring tribes at bay for longer than that. The Emperor had thrown all of that away, paid for her vision of freedom with the blood of the humans she tried to liberate. All the while colluding with the very filth that had left Rhea with either the choice to subdue humanity or destroy it as they had destroyed her kin.

She was not sure, even with the words of the Goddess in her heart if she could have made Lady Rhea's decision. Her heart broke for her Lady's burden even as her love swam into the cracks and made her heart whole and stronger than before. How could she not love a warrior with enough gentleness and might to save her enemies? How could she not follow in her Lady's example? For once a human in full knowledge of what Lady Rhea was would show her true kindness.

She would see this done even if it cost her, her life.

The Immaculate One let out a mighty roar, before she cast her Judgment upon her faithful Knight.

…

…..

…...

Catherine struggled to sit up, as weak as a newborn foal and she looked around the simple but well furnished room. A chilled carafe of water sat on the table by her bedside and she reached for it and guzzled the life giving liquid as if she was dying of thirst. Given the circumstances, she probably was and her body needed to replenish the fluids she'd lost.

She had been certain that she would die as Lady Rhea's power washed over her, yet her power, which Catherine had seen decimate and disintegrate armies of well-armed women and men had merely burned off her clothes. The only difference was the necklace that she'd worn, the crest of Seiros…of Rhea had been destroyed but the image had been branded into her skin.

Before she could even contemplate the pain, Rhea had carefully caressed her with that impossibly huge tongue, the movement as soft as a summer rain, soothing any wounds and sparking her desire like oil soaked kindling. She had whimpered and reached for her beloved Goddess then and it seemed that whatever answer Rhea had been searching for, she found it in that moment. The Immaculate One threw her head back and let out that mournful, dulcet, lyrical roar that left Catherine awash in arousal and terror at the same time before she returned her all seeing gaze to Catherine's vulnerable form. The divine dragon above her whispered her name, said it with affection the likes Catherine had not heard in years and the former Knight reached for her Goddess again, tears of devotion streaming down her face.

The Immaculate One returned that gentle tongue to Catherine's body and she learned of the death that could be meted out by divinity. The knight blushed fiercely in remembrance: she had died a little death repeatedly, endlessly, screaming and sobbing her devotion to Rhea until she was certain that her heart would stop. Just as The Immaculate One bestowed her grace upon humanity by sparing their lives, she bestowed her divinity upon Catherine. Once again she felt herself die, just as Cassandra had died to give rise to Thunderstrike Catherine, so Thunderstrike Catherine died to merely become Catherine. The cacophony of love that she bore for Rhea crystallized in that moment, more than loyalty, more than desire, more than devotion and she knew that she would do anything, give anything to see her Lady at peace. Rhea had loved her in her true form with relentless skill, as single minded and fierce as she was in battle until Catherine had blacked out, the rapture of her pleasure and love too much for her mortal body and mind to bear.

Yet in the face of her revelation would this be her true judgment? Had Rhea stripped her of her pretense, of her pride, had she unearthed her love, desire and devotion only to cast her aside? After all she had learned and after knowing the Immaculate One's touch she knew she would fall upon a blade if it meant she had to be parted from her Lady again. Even if she would never know her touch again…even if she would never be allowed to show her Lady how deeply she loved her in her heart, she would not, could not be parted from her again. It had been agony before, but she had had deemed it part of her pilgrimage, but now? Now it would be nothing short of endless torment. All she wanted was for her short, human life to provide some respite from the eternity of pain that her Lady had been condemned to.

All she wanted was to soothe Rhea's heart.

Rhea did not speak of her judgment and Catherine didn't push, even as her body seemed to come alive from the slightest regard from her Goddess. Yet she didn't speak of sending Catherine away either and Catherine was unwilling to even suggest such a thing. When she asked Lady Rhea to commit the remnant of her sister to rest, the daughter of the Goddess wept until she couldn't stand, Catherine's strength finally of use to her Lady as she held her trembling, grief stricken form. The Immaculate One carved a coffin from the stone of the canyon and Catherine recognized the form immediately and she wept bitter tears as she realized that her Lady had done this for each of her kin.

They laid Rhea's sister to rest and Catherine wore a sword of steel at her hip, similar in length to her former blade, merely for the ease of use and she proved her might in human flesh and wrought steel. Her Lady bid her to battle and they spared daily and Catherine stood in awe of the might that Rhea had held at bay for so long. Her beauty and ferocity with the blade spoke to the warrior heart of Catherine and her soul trembled in joy and unrequited love at the sight of such a powerful warrior. She learned that Rhea, with centuries of experience and the might of a goddess, had gone easy on her for _years_ the few times that they'd matched blades and every match she found herself on her back, Rhea's blade at her throat and sweet breath warm against her face. There was a wildness, a confusion that would come upon her Lady in those moments; panting, blood rushing with hard won victory and in those moments Catherine prayed in her heart that that her Lady would take pity on a mortal's foolish longing.

Did Lady Rhea feel the bond that Catherine had been trying to forge since the day they'd met? Did she know the joy that suffused Catherine merely at being in her presence? Could she overcome her fear and disgust for one so low, so _human_ as Catherine and see her devotion for what it truly was? Did she know that whatever way her Lady deemed her of use, she would stand by her side proudly and earnestly? Her desires were that of a mortal overwhelmed by perfection, but Catherine knew if she were nothing more than her Lady's knight protector for the rest of her life she would be overjoyed, so long as she had her Lady's trust. All she wanted was for Lady Rhea to know that she would never betray and that blood that flowed in her veins and her frail humanity didn't mean that she could not help bear her Lady's burdens. If Sothis had returned in some fashion, Catherine prayed to the goddess that she would teach her some way to breach those walls and reach the lonely, earnest, devoted heart of her Daughter. Yet it was not Sothis that gave her the revelation, but instead Rhea herself. Catherine read her journals over and over again, gleaning the nature of the Daughter from their worn pages.

She knew that the answer lay not in lust, not even lust born of deep rooted love, but in kindness and in friendship. Rhea had stood alone for so long, aloof even around her kin and she hungered for affection; Catherine would offer her a gentle hand and a calm ear and she would allow her Lady to set aside her burdens. She lay casual touches upon the body that no human would dare touch; hugs and pats and even ruffling impossibly silken hair until pointed ears peeked out. She was grateful for the first time in her life for being born a noble, for as brash as she was she was still well educated and she could converse with Rhea with ease and intelligence. She took up any chores that she could perform, although she had been banished from the kitchen after one disastrous attempt to cook dinner. For her these small comforts were nothing to offer the woman that existed as liege, sovereign even in absence of her title, savior, sister in arms, mentor and so very much more.

Anything, _anything_ to brighten her Lady's days.

As the months passed and it became apparent that Rhea had no desire to either send Catherine away or take her life as recompense that she would need quarters of her own. The former Archbishop had offered to build Catherine a home of her own, but the knight looked so wounded at the suggestion that she amended it immediately. Instead they made plans to expand Rhea's current dwelling to accommodate Catherine as well and allow her greater privacy. It would also prevent the song and dance of sleeping arrangements when Setheh came to drop off supplies. Rhea's home had not been built for two although she had a small guest room that had been shaped so that Setheh could visit. After about a month of hard labor the work was complete; Rhea's solitary abode having been transformed into a comfortable dwelling for the two of them. Catherine's respect for her Lady only grew during the project, as Rhea was a skilled craftswoman and had no qualms with hard labor. Catherine had not expected differently given her Lady's long life experience, but it still warmed her soul to see it.

As time flowed ever onward, their dynamic grew easy and warm; even smoother than it had been when they had been Archbishop and Knight. Catherine's heart soared at this, pleased that in some small way her Lady had come to rely upon her. Perhaps there was redemption for her yet. Rhea's laughter would fill the air; a light airy sound that belied her true form. That sound gave Catherine purpose and she swore in her heart that she would protect that happiness that produced it. Though the holy land still bore remnants of the Goddess' touch they still worked to tend to the land and reap its bounty. Together they planted and harvested, watching the seasons fall away and little by little Catherine gained a clearer understanding of the woman she served.

In those moments they were merely Catherine and Rhea and the blonde knight felt her heart grow lighter with her joy. Rhea tried to guard against the thawing of her heart and the balm to her pain, trying to pull away whenever she and Catherine began to drift too close, but despite the brashness of her nature the former wielder of Thunderbrand knew how to wait her opponent out. She held her frustration until the cloak of night and the memory of her Goddess' touch would torment her sweetly, and she wept her heartbreak and desire into her pillow. When the sun rose she put those feelings away and met Rhea's confusion and fear with patience and understanding.

The two settled into their daily routine and Catherine rushed to complete her chores with hopes that she could get a head start on hunting. Rhea normally took care of that, as being a divine dragon made it child's play to complete, but Catherine wanted to surprise her beloved Lady. There were a few forests in Zanado, surprisingly lush and thick despite all of the damage the Red Canyon massacre had wrought upon the land. Catherine sought to hunt down boar, one of Lady Rhea's favorites but she tread carefully through the forest not wanting to become prey instead. The power of the Goddess spilled into the creatures making them massive and powerful and while Catherine trusted her martial prowess, without Thunderbrand it would be suicide for her to take on a Great Beast alone.

Yet the thought of surprising Rhea with something that would make her happy was worth the risk in the knight's opinion and so she forged ahead carefully but with no further thought for the possible danger. She succeeded in tracking and slaying two boar, finally understating why a woman as dainty appearing despite her height as Rhea needed to eat so much. She was in mid motion of tying the second boar when she felt the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. With practiced ease she drew her blade and rolled out of the way even as claws swiped at the space she had occupied. She frowned as she took in the sight of a Great Wolf, small and emaciated looking. She'd long suspected that Rhea had been driving the cursed beasts from her lands since she began her self imposed exile. This one had likely smelled the fresh kill and had taken the chance to ease its hunger.

While she felt pity for the beast, those boar were for Lady Rhea. Catherine would not let anyone take them from her. She slashed at the wolf, forcing it back and the two began to circle each other, the meat forgotten. Even without Thunderbrand, Catherine was a mighty warrior and she had honed her skills for most of her life on the battlefield. For the most part the battle went in her favor, but it was taking too long; without Thunderbrand's overwhelming power, her steel was not as effective against a beast that had been warped by the blood of the Goddess.

The beast caught her leg as she dodged, not enough for it to drag her away and she slashed at it, ripping a gash in its snout that made it yelp and then growl in anger. Catherine struggled to her feet, not able to put weight on her leg and she paused as she began to hear shuffling around her. The rest of the pack had finally located this wandering member and they would swarm her within moments. The knight let out a roar of pure frustration, furious that this would be how she'd meet her end and she gripped her blade, flashing back to another battlefield when she'd faced down beasts alone. Just as she had then she said a quick prayer in her heart for her Lady's happiness and with a shout of "For Lady Rhea!" she flicked dirt from the ground into the nearest beast's eyes with her blade, daring the beast to come and claim its kill.

The beast howled and it and its kin began to move, bearing down quickly on the solitary knight.

Catherine's blade caught one wolf in the throat but its weight and size dragged her down and pinned her under its corpse. She cried out as she felt her injured leg slam into the ground and then twist and compress under the weight of the creature. She glared at the remaining beasts, offended by her impending, inglorious demise before a roar pierced the skies and made the ground quake. The Immaculate One swooped down, plucking the dead beast from Catherine's body and throwing it at the nearest wolf. With another roar she met the beasts head on as the felled Knight watched on in awe and worry.

The Emperor had called Lady Rhea a beast and in this moment Catherine understood just how misguided the poor abused daughter of the Empire had been. Catherine realized that "beast" was truly the wrong word to describe The Immaculate One, for only "Goddess" would come close to what she was. Catherine was prepared to face damnation for exalting the Daughter over Sothis herself yet she would not deny the truth of her heart. Rhea fought with the same skill and precision as she did in her human form, only now her entire body was the weapon. Yet the massive dragon was careful to keep herself in between the wolves and the wounded knight. It seemed as if it took an eternity but it was only a few moments before all the wolves lay dead, there might no match for The Immaculate One. In a flash of light, Rhea stomped delicately towards Catherine, holding her longsword like it was a lightweight branch in one fist while her normally serene face scowled in abject fury.

"What were you thinking! Or do you ever think at all?!"

Catherine ducked her head, ashamed and feeling inadequate once more and she nearly missed the gasp that filled the air between them.

"Catherine? You're hurt?!"

With that Rhea's anger dissipated like the winds and for the second time in her life Catherine found herself cradled in her Lady's arms as her healing power flowed over her body like a caress. The knight blinked back tears and hid her face in shame against her Lady's abdomen, embarrassed as arousal and love scorched her bones. She knew that her Lady didn't want her, didn't love her, but she couldn't extinguish her love and need of Lady Rhea any easier than she could will her heart to stop beating.

She gasped as she felt Rhea move her hold into a bridal carry and she lifted Catherine and her blade with the same ease that a young girl picked up a doll. The light flashed again but Rhea remained, somewhere in between her true form and her human mask. Horns curled from her brow like a crown and her eyes were reptilian while snow white scales traced her temples. Large white wings sprang from her back and as they passed the boars that started all of this, Catherine realized that she had grown a tail as well. The Daughter of the Goddess neatly snagged the boars with her tail and then took to the sky, holding Catherine close.

If the disgraced daughter of house Charon didn't already love her Lady, she most certainly fell in this moment. Held in a gentle embrace that could level mountains as she saw a sight that no human had ever seen before, all the while her Lady's steady heartbeat thumped reassuringly in her ear filled her with more emotion than she thought she could contain. When they landed Rhea set Catherine to her feet and handed her back her blade before reverting back to her human form and carrying the boars into the house. The knight felt shame wash over her at the pointed silence but she didn't know what to do or say to mend this new distance between them. They ate in silence and afterwards Rhea walked outside and changed into her true form, her wings cloaked against her form as she looked upon the landscape alone.

The Immaculate One was startled as she felt the touch of her knight against her hind leg while she looked out over her decimated home, remembering the land of her childhood, Catherine's touch comforting and light. She felt her heart begin to soften towards this woman, whom she had once hated in a way. She knew of Catherine's love and could smell her lust clinging to her skin as it had when she entered the Academy and yet for the first time that scent didn't burn her.

Her judgment had been to punish…to give the knight what Rhea believed she wanted and then cast her out and yet she found herself losing the conviction of her fury. As her human lay panting and whimpering for her, crying out her name and vowing to love her always, despite the fact that Catherine should have feared and hated her like the rest of her cruel, greedy kind, punishment had warmed into comfort and passionate possession. She had wanted to ruin Catherine's body the way that she had her heart and as her human lay insensate but thoroughly sated she'd felt warmth and pride in the devastation that she had wrought. Yet that hollow ache, the likes of which she had only believed could be filled by her Mother's grace had lessened a little as she spent time living a simple life with her human.

The Immaculate One bristled as she realized that she thought of Catherine as _hers_. Had she finally gone mad? So starved for affection and torn by grief that she would settle for the affections of a human? There had been no thought of the love between mates in her heart and after watching love and loss reduce her brother to a coddling coward and their numbers culled until their kind were nothing but myth she swore she would never be felled by so fickle an emotion. No, love was only meant for her Mother; even her siblings did not stir her heart in familial love as a part of her hated them for not protecting Mother. Yet Catherine wasn't just any human. Byleth had been special because she held the Grace of Sothis, but what made Catherine, the many times daughter of the butchers that pretended that death and blood made them nobility…what made her special?

Yet the moment she saw Catherine in danger she had reacted on instinct. She couldn't, _wouldn't_ see the young, impulsive human's life snuffed out so easily. She trembled as she felt Catherine settle against her, drifting off to sleep half draped against the daughter of the Goddess as if it were a common thing to do. With a sigh The Immaculate One draped part of a wing against her human to stave off the chill even as she looked up at the stars, easily finding the star from which her Mother was born. She prayed to the Goddess, wishing to return to easier days when her world was not filled with blood and betrayal and she wondered at the little human that was battering her long since broken heart. She believed she knew what Catherine wanted, but could she answer her call? Rhea didn't know the answer to that, so for now she curled herself around the human and let the peace of sleep calm her mind and heart.

The wounds of the failed hunt eventually healed between them and once again they lived their simple, easy life in peace. Rhea was confused, expecting Catherine to make her petition at some point and yet the human acted as if her love for Rhea was merely that of a Knight for her Liege. She didn't doubt her knight's loyalty but it was strange that Catherine seemed content to stifle her own heart. Catherine had taken to leaving to bathe and swim in the river nearby as if she'd finally realized that a pillow and a room on the other side of the house was not enough to dampen Rhea's hearing to her frantic self-ministrations. Rhea knew that she should be grateful for the reprieve from human emotion, chaotic and frail as it was, yet she found herself trailing her knight, determined to never know the terror of watching her nearly be torn apart by mindless beasts again.

Yet as she watched Catherine run her fingers through her ashen blonde unbound hair, now long enough that she had to keep it braided, the Daughter of the Goddess wished that it was her fingers combing through pale silk. As she watched battle harden hands that still bore long delicate fingers, caress powerful muscle and soft, full breasts and slide down her chiseled abdomen to sip into sodden blonde curls she remembered the taste of Catherine's skin and her desire. As she heard whimpers of her name, always only her name, as Catherine blunted the edge of her desire, Rhea remembered what it felt like to make Catherine _scream_ until she lost her voice. Yet it was thoughts of the Knight's lazy and charming smile, her determination to protect and her devotion even in the face of Rhea's indifference that pricked her heart.

Each incursion would leave Catherine weeping in heartache and shame and Rhea burning with confusion and longing. Yet neither woman said anything, pretending that these emotions between them didn't exist, even as they drew closer in friendship. It was on Saint Seiros Day the following year that changed everything between them. It was the finest birthday that Rhea could remember. They hunted and feasted and danced under the stars as Rhea hummed softly between them. She hadn't known that she could feel such joy ever again and when Catherine laughed Rhea felt like she would do anything to protect that sound.

Even though they didn't have to, even though they both knew the truth, they honored the rites of the Church and prayed together under the blanket of stars. Afterwards Catherine took Rhea's hands into hers and slipped a very familiar ring on her finger. Her knight knelt and bowed her head, kissing that hand lingeringly before she rose and pulled her Lady into a hug.

"We will honor the covenant. A human and a child of the goddess can live in harmony Lady Rhea. We shall be living proof of this."

Rhea wanted to struggle against the soft words, a vow as deep and binding as the one Rhea had made to her Mother's memory long ago. Yet she resisted, knowing that human treachery came with honeyed words. Catherine tightened her grip even though Rhea could rip her apart with the ease that it took to breathe and the Daughter of the Goddess grew still and settled into the embrace.

"What if you come to change your mind? What if your need for strength overcomes your need for peace?"

"My strength is for you Lady Rhea. I will show you my strength and mine alone. I will give you a reason to believe again."

And then the knight was gone. Asking for nothing yet offering everything. Rhea touched the ring on her hand and she felt that constant ache in her soul lessen. Byleth had not been what she had dreamed, her Mother was lost to her forever, yet perhaps she could find a new reason to live, to protect…to love. The Daughter stood outside, her long memory washing over her as her human companion went to bed not long after they parted. In the deep twilight of night Rhea cast one last glance to her Mother's star and she made her decision.

Rhea came to her draped only in moonlight, kissing Catherine awake, her eyes aglow and reptilian while her hair was pulled back from her shoulders, her ears in plain sight. She truly was a goddess, her divine nature tugging at all the forms of love Catherine bore in her soul for her. For a moment the knight felt a new form of shame; inadequacy at her mere human form, yet she trampled it down. Goddess or no, Rhea needed to know love that wasn't fueled by blind worship, devotion that wasn't bolstered by empty scripture. Catherine was unworthy, but nonetheless she would love this goddess until her dying day. The knight drew her goddess into a kiss and with the moonlight upon them, she lay worshipful yet unabashed hands upon Rhea's divine beauty.

As Rhea leaned back against her, her head lolled in ecstasy against Catherine's shoulder, the Knight learned that even a Goddess could yield to pleasure…to love. Catherine loved her Lady selflessly, resolutely ignoring her own immolating, consuming desire as her hands caressed full, supple breasts and her hands stroked and caressed silken divinity. She trailed her tongue against pointed ears and whimpered softly at the draconic growl she unearthed from her beloved. Rhea's divine nature gave her stamina beyond any mortal woman, but Catherine was determined to show her the worth of human devotion.

Rhea bellowed out another roar as pleasure arced through her and she pulled away from Catherine, turning upon her and pressing her onto her back with ease. She nipped and growled at taunt, scared skin and her fingers combed through sunbleached hair before pulling Catherine's head back so that she could devour her neck. The knight groaned in need and supplication and Rhea whispered her name along with words spoken in the lyrical, guttural language of the Church and Catherine prided herself on being coherent enough to string together enough thoughts to realize that was the language of the Goddess and her Children.

Rhea tongued the brand of her crest against Catherine's skin and the human arched and cried out, remembering what it felt like to be taken apart by that same tongue in her Lady's true form. Rhea chuckled with sensual pride as if she knew the reason for her Knight's reaction. Yet there was no more need for judgment and worship between them, for now Rhea would love her, not as her Goddess but simply as the woman that in newfound faith in her had come to love her dearly. Catherine had thought that she had known divinity splayed open and at the mercy of the Immaculate One, only to learn that true rapture lay in making love _with_ Rhea, in loving and being loved by her in return. Catherine did not roar, but her cries commingled with her beloved's all the same.

As they lay together in the afterglow, Rhea whispered the commitment of the Archbishop and Catherine realized that her Lady was marrying them if she accepted it. Catherine stammered out vows she had never dreamed she'd ever have the right to say, still somewhat half convinced that this was a fever dream brought on by too much wine. They kissed again and fell asleep to the dawn, brides in the eyes of the Goddess.

Thunderstrike Catherine had thought that she had known the pride of purpose and devotion as the sword of the Archbishop, but Catherine, wife of Rhea had learned her true purpose in a simple life shared with the woman she loved.

In Zanado, where the Goddess dwelled, a daughter of the goddess and a human honored the covenant that came before…and it was good and beautiful.

* * *

Reposting now that I can tag it properly. I hate that I have to put this in notes as it should be obvious but please don't post spoilers in a review. I have not beaten the game.

While this does end in a marriage the point of this is all of the various ways that Catherine is devoted to Rhea, due to the many roles she occupies in Catherine's life. I certainly write Catherine and Rhea both as homosexual as I do with any paring that I write (except Asami and Korra, given that they are canon I acknowledge the way their characters were created) however that really isn't the point. Catherine is more helpless against her desire as she is in the presence of a divine being and the closest thing to perfection in a woman she will ever know...she can't help but be attracted to Rhea. However her devotion is due to all of the other roles that Rhea plays in her life, and only when Rhea makes the choice to move their relationship to marriage that her love becomes an act of devotion rather than something she has to bear and fight against. This is also why the narrative is framed referencing piety and devotion; this is an exploration of mortal worship. What if your gods were real to the touch with fears and dreams and emotions of their own? While I don't specify the length of time Catherine's final journey takes I have a rough idea in my head of 3 years, so 8 years total (as she spent 5 years hunting those that slither in the dark) by the end of the fic.

R. Niiyama

Reposted: 9/2019


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